European Adventure 2019 - Transporter Bridges - Day 13

Day 13

Bilbao to Santander

Up early to pack and load the car before having breakfast in the Café Baque just opposite the hotel.  We ate in here yesterday and it was so good we decided to come back again this morning.  It was just as good today.

Then we picked up the car from the car park and set off on the road to Santander.  It was a lovely morning, we got out of town easier today, thank goodness and soon we were cruising along an empty motorway enjoying some magnificent scenery.

After just over an hour we reached Santander and headed towards the ferry port where we booked in for the crossing later in the day, parked in line then set off on foot to spend the day in this beautiful city.  

We walked along the front and met a charming lady called Monica who persuaded us to take a boat trip out to sea for an hour.  We agreed but not just yet as we wanted to see a bit more of the front with the tall ships and a lot more.

After this we stopped for a drink in a great bar in one of the side streets.  It was called Cerveceria La Surens and we liked it so much we said we would come back for lunch.  

We then headed to the port and boarded the Regina Catorce for our pre-arranged boat trip.  It was a great trip, we sat up front on deck for most of the journey and saw so much that we were surprised at around this lovely area.

Upon our return we walked back to the Cerveceria La Surens for a cracking lunch of Spanish food and wine

After this is was time to walk back to the port and find our car as we sat in line awaiting our time to board.  The Brittany ferry, The Pont-Aven was a massive vessel and it took some time to board, but once we were on we had a drink in the bar before taking everything to our cabin which would be our home for the next 24 hours.

Time then to explore the ship before having dinner in the Le Flora restaurant and relaxing for the rest of the evening.  

Our trip is now over, we will be back in the UK tomorrow so I am signing off until November when it will be about our short trip to La Villajoyosa, back here in Spain.

European Adventure 2019 - Transporter Bridges - Day 12

Day 12

The Vizcaya Bridge

Today we left early for our visit to the final transporter bridge of our trip, the Vizcaya bridge in Bilbao. It was pouring with rain and only 14 degrees when we set off, but it did not dampen our spirits as we turned a corner in Portugalete ans saw the bridge right in front of us.

The Vizcaya Bridge known as the Bizkaiko Zubia in Basque, and Puente de Vizcaya in Spanish,is a transporter bridge that links the towns of Portugalete and Getxo as it crosses the mouth of the Nervion River.  People living in the area, know it as the Puente Colgante which literally means "hanging bridge", which is used for suspension bridge in Spanish, although it is most definitely not a suspension bridge.

The Vizcaya Bridge was built to connect the two banks which are situated at the mouth of the Nervion River. It is the world's oldest transporter bridge and was built in 1893, designed by Alberto Palacio, one of Gustave Eiffel's disciples. The Engineer Ferdinand Joseph Arnodin, who also built the bridges in Rochefort and Newport was in charge, and the main financier of the project was Santos Lopez de Letona. It was the solution given by the engineer to the problem of connecting the towns of Portugalete and Getxo without disrupting the maritime traffic of the Port of Bilbao and without having to build a massive structure with long ramps. Palacio wanted to design a bridge which could transport passengers and cargo, and that could allow ships to go through.

On July 13, 2006, the Vizcaya Bridge was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. In Spain, it is the only monument in the Industrial Heritage category. UNESCO considers the bridge to be a perfect combination of beauty and functionality. It was the first to use a combination of iron technology and new steel cables which began a new form of constructing bridges which was later imitated throughout the world.

The bridge, still in use, is 164 meters long, and its (modern) gondola can transport six cars and several dozen passengers across the river in one and a half minutes.

It operates every 8 minutes during the day (every hour at night), all year round, with different fares for day and night services, and is integrated into Bilbao's ticket system. An estimated four million passengers and half a million vehicles use the bridge annually.

There are two new visitor lifts installed in the 50-metre-high pillars of the bridge that allow walking over the bridge's platform, from where there is a view of the port and the Abra bay.

The structure is 45 metres high and 160 metres long. In the final design they decided to use two horizontal girders to support the rails, and these are supported by four pillars which stand on four towers which are situated on the river banks. It is made of iron. Much iron was extracted from the mines of Vizcaya, which increased the mining and shipping industry. Therefore, the Vizcaya Bridge also represents the growth and triumph of a new era.

We crossed the river in the gondola, in our car, and parked up on the the Getxo side of the river and then made our way to the visitor centre to get our tickets to walk across the top of the bridge.  Here we met the charming lady named Vanesa who running the visitor centre and when she knew where we were from she insisted on giving us 'co-worker' discounts and then having a photograph taken with us.

Vanesa

We then took the lift to the top and we had the company of another charming lady, this time from Puerto Rica whose name was Printzel. She was scared of heights but was determined to do it.  When we got to the top it poured down on us and showered us with hailstones.  We persevered though and still managed to get some great shots.

Printzel Dry

Printzel Wet

After descending from the top we said our goodbyes to Vanesa and Printzel and returned to our hotel to change into dry clothes, before going for lunch to Baskian.

After lunch we spent a couple of hours in the Guggenheim museum and met these interesting characters on the way in.  

It was a really interesting building, but I struggled a great deal with the exhibits within. On the way out we saw this unusual double act performing in the grounds outside.

European Adventure 2019 - Transporter Bridges - Day 11

Day 11

Rochefort to Bilbao via Bayonne

Another day on the road today as we headed further south into Spain for our next few days stop at Bilbao in the Basque country.  It was to be mainly motorway driving until we were well into Spain but it was a pleasant enough drive with very little traffic on the road. 

On the way though, we had to stop for lunch in Bayonne and we spent a good few hours alongside La Nive, the river running through Bayonne.  

We ate lunch at Au P'ti Bistro where we were really well looked after by the staff.

Kev really likes his desserts

After lunch we set off again making good time until we eventually reached the border between France and Spain. Although you would never notice it, as all that slows you down is a Peage where we paid our last toll in France.

Once we had entered Spain we could see the scenery changing dramatically and left the motorway to drive along the coast road through some terrific areas with beautiful scenery.

All around us though there were images to remind us that we were in the Basque country.  Strange that the wording was in English though.

Pretty soon we were driving into Bilbao and seeking out our hotel. Not that easy at night when you find yourself among some of the worst and most abusive drivers we encountered on our trip across Europe.  I was just glad Kev was driving.